How Long It Takes for Collagen Supplements to Work

Do you want to join the collagen bandwagon and wonder how long it takes for collagen supplements to work? Read on!

Collagen supplements have become popular recently. This protein powerhouse connects tissues and bones in your body. Owing to its numerous benefits, people love to stir collagen supplements with their favorite liquids, such as bullet-proof coffee, milk, juice, etc.

It is an added protein booster in your body, which helps to reduce wrinkles and joint pain and provides more flexibility in joints and bones.

Collagen is an essential protein in the body. You can find it in your skin, muscles, tendons, and bones in abundance. It works essentially by holding our entire body together. Collagen also provides structure and strength to our body.

What is Collagen?

Collagen is an essential protein in the human body. You must be thankful for collagen, which allows us to move, bend, and stretch easily.

There are two types of collagen endogenous and exogenous. Our bodies naturally produce endogenous collagen, while exogenous collagen is from outside sources like plants or animals.

It also helps to add shine to the hair, is a secret to anti-aging, keeps nails healthy, and much more.

Your body automatically produces collagen. As the aging process starts, collagen production reduces, and the chances of collagen deficiency increase. This is why we start to have wrinkles and sagging skin. Taking collagen supplements at the right time can keep your skin youthful and glowing for a long time.

Do Collagen Supplements or Pills Work?

Collagen is the building block of our body, which is why you will find most people taking collagen supplements as a part of their diet plan. Collagen is naturally produced by our bodies every day, and our body has an enzyme called “Collagenase,” which is responsible for breaking collagen in our bodies. Our collagen production decreases after the age of 25, and this is when we see changes in our skin and experience wrinkles and fine lines. You can provide collagen to your body by consuming foods such as organ meats and bone broths, but you can also substitute your daily requirement with collagen supplements.

Our body has specific cells known as ‘fibroblasts,’ which are responsible for producing collagen. These cells require amino acids such as hydroxyproline, glycine, and proline to make the magic happen. Collagen supplements do exactly that. They provide the necessary amino acids to the cells to produce more and more collagen.

When you consume collagen from the outside, the enzymes in your stomach break it down so that the body can better absorb it and start working. These supplements break down into peptides and amino acids, passing them on to your bloodstream for better absorption.

A 2018 study shows that collagen supplements when ingested in the body, change the levels of amino acids in the body. This is why they facilitate our body to produce more collagen. So unless you are regularly consuming collagen-rich foods, it is easier to include collagen supplements in your diet. It comes in both powder and pill form so that you can choose at your convenience.

Overall, collagen supplements do work, but you need to find the best one for it to actually benefit your body. The online market is huge and filled with supplements, so you can choose whatever you like. But make sure to go for a flavorless formula, something that does not contain any fillers.

Top Benefits of Collagen Supplements

• Anti-aging: As you age, your skin loses its elasticity, your hair begins to fall, and those pesky wrinkles start to show on your face. Collagen supplements help you improve skin elasticity, hold skin moisture, and reduce dryness and roughness of the skin.

• Reduce joint pains and degeneration: When you start losing collagen, you will feel extra stiffness in your leg, which causes pain. It leads to difficulty in moving around. Collagen supplements help you deal with stiffness and reduce joint inflammation. According to Harvard’s researchers, type 2 is the best for rheumatoid arthritis, which gives relief from joint pain.

• Helps heal leaky gut: According to a study, someone who has inflammatory bowel disease and serum concentrations because of the lack of amino acid needs this supplement. After consumption, this absorption of water within the intestines will improve, and you can move your body even more freely.

• Boosts metabolism, muscle mass, and energy output: If you take this supplement daily, it will help to increase metabolism and nutrients. It will also repair muscle tissue, wound healing, and spare tissue wasting.

• Strengthens Nails, Hair, and Teeth: According to a 2015 study by the University of Padova in Italy, there is an essential relationship between the extracellular matrix and hair follicle regeneration. You can improve it by consuming Collagen supplements daily to resolve all skin issues.

• Improves Liver Health: Glycine helps minimize liver damage. Within three days, the leaky gut will be repaired. Studies have shown that glycine protects the liver from damage.

How much collagen must you take?

How much collagen should you take? – It is a big question. Well, you must consume collagen daily as per your requirement. According to your goal, you must decide this.

An 11-gram scoop is the correct measurement if you want your skin to glow, your complexion clear, your bones strengthened, or your cellulite reduced.

For building muscles, 15 grams is the ideal proportion.

Recommended Collagen Dosage

1. Skin: One scoop is the correct dosage to maintain healthy skin. First, it gets absorbed by your intestines and then reflects on the skin. After two weeks, you will start seeing the changes on the skin. It will give you an extra dose of moisture and elasticity. Marine collagen is ideal for the skin.
2. Cellulite: Consumption of collagen supplements daily will reduce cellulite and strengthen tissues. It also helps to repair the damaged tissues under the skin.
3. Muscle: As you age, your muscle loses its strength. That time to increase the muscle consuming 15-gram collagen per day is the best. You don’t need to drink it all at once. You can consume it after every meal – after breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
4. Bone: For bone metabolism, the minimum dosage must be 11 grams of collagen per person, which is the size of one scoop.

You can increase the dose yourself. For this, you need to notice improvement in your skin and nails. If you get the result as expected, then you can increase slowly.

When is the Best Time to Take Collagen Supplements?

You can take collagen supplements at any time during the day, or you can maintain a specific time.

1. For skin and muscle repair, the ideal time is evening because it works well when you sleep.
2. If you are taking it for weight loss, then the ideal time is to take it in the morning so that throughout the day, you feel energetic.
3. For pain and inflammation consuming 1- 4 spoons throughout is sufficient.

How Long Does Collagen Supplements Take to Work?

Collagen is not a magical supplement, and it does not work miracles overnight. The amount of time it takes to work depends on what you are looking for. It works differently for skin, hair, and joint pain.

For Skin

Collagen takes at least four weeks to start working on the skin. To see visible results, you need to wait at least four weeks. Maximum benefits are seen by 12 weeks. The first thing that you will notice when you start to use collagen supplements is improvements in your skin. You will also experience strong hair growth. Collagen supplements are known as “beauty builders” as they can make your skin look much better. Here are some facts to support that.

Several studies were published in the Cosmetic Dermatology Journal in 2015. These studies fundamentally found that taking collagen supplements regularly reduces the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines. It showed remarkable improvements in signs of skin aging. The studies also found that it remarkably increased moisture within the skin. These improvements, however, depended on the amount of collagen consumed every day.

To be exact, the people who consumed more collagen showed better results. Minor visible results were seen as early as four weeks, and maximum benefits were observed in 12 weeks. The wrinkles on a person’s face were reduced by almost 31.2%. The study also showed improvements in skin elasticity.

In 2006 another study in the Journal of Nutrition published that consuming collagen supplements along with the topical uses of astaxanthin vitamin can reverse the damages of photoaging. The research proves that it repairs skin damaged by the harmful radiation of the sun within 24 weeks. So it is true that collagen does work, and it takes at least four weeks to work its magic on the skin.

Another way to produce collagen for the skin is to go for Collagen Induction Therapy, also known as microneedling, a procedure done through a pen that pricks minuscule needles into the skin to produce fresh collagen. (Check out Reviews of Best Microneedling Pens)

For Hair

Collagen supplements take as little as two weeks to show visible improvements in your hair. Taking collagen supplements daily can make your hair softer, smoother, and shinier. It can also improve your hair texture, as well. It also reduces flaking and itching of the scalp.

A trial was conducted by Eva Proudman, who is a trichologist consultant, to see if collagen proves to have any impact on the scalp and hair. Bad hair health can depend on many factors, and it is the same for both males and females. Deficiency of amino acids, minerals, and vitamins can cause hair loss, hair thinning, and other hair-related problems. An unhealthy lifestyle and stress mostly cause these deficiencies. In this study, voluntary candidates were asked to intake collagen and review their improvements in hair every two weeks.

The trial lasted 12 weeks, and the candidates did not consume any supplements other than collagen. In the end, the team reviewed the results, which show that the candidates experienced a sleeker, smoother hair texture within two weeks. By eight weeks, candidates mentioned that their need to use conditioner had reduced and that their hair was pretty manageable and easy to style. Candidates with seborrhoeic eczema also showed remarkable improvement in flaking and itching. Their scalp condition reduced by 10%, including hair fall.

According to the study, collagen does improve the condition of the hair. Visible improvements are seen after four weeks and, at the maximum, after eight weeks.

For Joint Pain

For joint pain, collagen takes almost three months to show visible results in healthy individuals who have injuries related to sports. It takes at least six months for people with osteoarthritis to see results. A study in 2013 showed that people who took type II collagen regularly improved joint mobility within 120 days. This study was based on the results of the people who suffered from minor physical injuries. They had no previous arthritis condition.

A 2009 study showed that arthritic people who took collagen supplements showed significant improvement in bone health and joint pain within 90 days. They took type II collagen and said that it also improved their quality of life subsequently. The results, however, continued to improve with time. The study also showed that continuous intake of collagen supplements for six months could show remarkable improvements in knee joint pain. These supplements are generally beneficial to those people whose diet comprises the least amount of proteins.

Therefore, it is now clear that collagen supplements do work for joint pains, and it takes at least 3-6 months to show full results. However, it is always best to consult a doctor to determine whether it will work for your condition.

After all these, you might be curious to know about the effects of collagen on your body. Well, there are two types of effects. One is long-term, and the other is short-term.

Short term effects

Collagen is an essential compound after water in our bodies. Usually, a high-quality protein shake will start flowing in the bloodstream after 15 minutes of consumption, according to manufacturers.

Amino acid reaches your muscles within 30 minutes, and they will be in peak position after 90 minutes.

For collagen, it is even easier to absorb in the human body to start work soon.

Long term effects

The results you notice from taking collagen supplements for the long term vary on many factors. Your age, level of physical activity, diet, health, and the amount of collagen you take are some of the factors.

It is always recommended to take these supplements along with a balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle.

Replacing damaged muscle and skin tissue takes four times. Scientific studies say that it takes the same amount of time to heal the skin. 80% of users agreed that their skin looked younger and healthier.

Though the result varies from person to person, some people get the result within three weeks, whereas some notice it after two months.

So, is Collagen Worth Taking?

Collagen is an essential protein in our body, and in recent years, collagen supplements have taken the health world by storm. At first, collagen was only used to have younger, smoother-looking skin. But with the evolution of new research and studies, it is seen that collagen has tons of health and fitness benefits.

Regular intake of collagen can improve joint health and reduce joint pain. The amino acids present in collagen supplements calm our nervous system, enhancing the quality of our sleep. Collagen also shields the body’s inflammatory response and protects the gut lining from damage caused by anxiety.

There are studies that back up the theories of collagen benefits. So overall, collagen supplements are worth it, and they are worth taking.

Frequently Asked Questions about Collagen Supplements

What Are The Side Effects Of Taking Collagen?

Taking collagen supplements is generally considered to be safe. However, one should always consult a doctor before including collagen in their diet plan. Doing this will enable the user to identify the potential risks and also if the product will work for them. If any, the possible side effects of taking collagen are pretty mild. They include:

• Rashes
• Diarrhea
• Heaviness and uneasiness in the stomach.

Other than these symptoms, there are no potential health risks of taking collagen in adults.

Should I Take Collagen On An Empty Stomach?

Deciding the correct time to take collagen is not always easy. However, collagen peptides can be added to all sorts of beverages and foods to gain their benefits.

But then what is the correct time? Some users swear that taking collagen on an empty stomach gives them the maximum benefits. Technically, collagen is a protein, and in the morning, your empty stomach has the necessary acids to digest these proteins.

Others say that taking collagen at night will allow the collagen to work its magic while you sleep. However, it is not always necessary. You can consume collagen at your convenience as there is no mandatory time scheme.

How Much Collagen To Take?

The dosage of collagen depends mostly on the consumer’s health, age, and several other factors. It also depends on what exactly you are trying to benefit from consuming collagen. Is it skin, hair, cellulite, or bone health? All conditions have different dosages.

However, to achieve the maximum benefits, it is recommended to take at least 1-2 scoops of collagen peptides every day. Sites like Peptide Sciences offer different kinds of peptides.

Consult with a doctor before planning to consume collagen. The doctor can examine your condition thoroughly and prescribe the correct dose for the benefit you are seeking.

Can You Take Too Much Collagen?

You can consume between 1-3 scoops per day. Anything more than this can result in digestive problems and utter discomfort like bloating or gas. Collagen is a protein, and consuming more protein than your body can process will ultimately result in discomfort.

Consuming too much collagen can also make you thirsty. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, reduce your collagen intake immediately.

Precautions

• Taking a little extra is not harmful, but you must take more than one to three scoops per day. Along with this supplement, you can also consume some other powders like plant protein powder, food-based protein powder, etc.

•  You may feel discomfort in the body in the form of gas and bloating. It just happens when you take a high dose of collagen, so you should maintain your scale and consume the ideal dose of collagen.

• Some people feel thirsty after too much consumption. That time, listen to your body’s requirements and drink lots of water.

• If you have kidney disease or kidney issues without consulting a doctor, you should not take collagen. When you have a stone in the kidney, you must drink plenty of water, need to maintain a B6 level, and should not take an overdose of collagen. Consult your doctor and decide the correct dosage; then, it will be helpful, or else it can have its side effect.

• You may experience headaches, sleeping problems, and dizziness. In that case, it’s best to go to the doctor.

The Bottom Line

Collagen has tons of health and beauty benefits, and adding them to your daily diet can keep you young and healthy. However, nothing in excess is good for health. So you should always keep in mind to be within the limit.

The amount of time collagen supplements take to show effects depends entirely on one’s lifestyle and diet. However, to make their impact long-lasting on your skin and health, improve your diet, eat clean, and exercise as much as possible.